Some close results and exciting rugby marks Gala Day opening

Above: A view of Gala Day in action, with Petone and Ories playing in the foreground in their Jim Brown Memorial Cup and Swindale Shield fixture.?

Two draws, a one-point win and plenty of positive rugby marked the start of the 2015 Wellington club rugby Premier Swindale Shield season at a baking Trentham Memorial Park this afternoon.

Conditions were hot, and so was much of the rugby played as Northern United and Wainuiomata drew 34-34, Poneke and the Upper Hutt Rams drew 35-35 and defending Jubilee Cup champions Hutt Old Boys Marist used their get out of jail free card to pip the Wellington Axemen 37-36, in three notable results.

The other four Swindale Shield matches saw Old Boys University beat Avalon 31-14, Petone beat Oriental-Rongotai 30-19, Marist St Pat’s overcome Johnsonville 52-8 and Tawa account for Paremata-Plimmerton 70-15.

Hutt Old Boys Marist found an extra gear late in their match against 1980s powerhouse club the Wellington Axemen, coming back from 22-36 down to score two late tries and secure a thrilling win.

Wing Fereti Soloa was the hero for the Eagles, racing all of 90 metres to score the match winner with time almost up on the referee’s watch.

The Axemen had one last crack and almost broke through again at the death through lock Vaea Fifita.

Poneke were left heartbroken at the end by the Upper Hutt Rams, who also came roaring back to score two late converted tries to draw with them.

With Poneke leading 35-21, Rams wing Max Pearson ran in his third try of the match to close the gap up to seven points, and then from close range openside flanker Josh Hunt darted through and fullback Jordan Simpson-Hefft kicked a wobbly but accurate conversion with the last act of the game.

The Upper Hutt Rams retain the interclub Alby Makeham Shield, having won this match last year.

Wainuiomata retain the Alf Keating Memorial Trophy against Norths, but only just, as the Bulldogs came racing back to tie up their match.

Wainuiomata picked up from where they left off last season, racing to a 23-0, before Norths stirred into action and came back to trail 24-28 later in the second half and then later snatched a 34-34 draw.

Petone won the Jim Brown Memorial Shield off Ories, who scored the game’s first try to representative winger Afa Fa’atau, before Petone came to grab a significant early season scalp.

The other three matches were more cut and dry, although OBU were made to work hard for their victory by Avalon who are one of the two promoted clubs to the expanded 14-team competition alongside Paremata-Plimmerton.

Marist St Pat’s pulled clear of Johnsonville in the second half to register their half-century win and start their defence of the first round Swindale Shield.

Sweet running MSP second five-eighth Isaiah Petelo scored the only try of the first half and first five-eighth Fa’atonu Fili kicked three penalties as MSP led 16-3 at halftime.

MSP made most of the running in the second spell, adding several more tries and wrapping the result up with plenty of time remaining.

Tawa also had their bonus point win in the bag several minutes before halftime against newcomers Paremata-Plimmerton.

When evergreen left wing Junior Togia scored on halftime and then James So’oialo crossed for an easily taken try after a scrum on halfway early in the second spell to make it 51-3, Tawa were well in control.

Paremata-Plimmerton did come back for a period in the second half, shoring their previously porous defence, particularly out wide where Tawa ran amok, and it was they who scored the try of the match.

Fullback Ryan McLean counterattacked from inside his 22, created space and linked up with captain and No. 8 Tane McMillan-Parata?who dashed ahead and placed a perfectly weighted old fashion centring kick for KewaTane McMillan-Parata to collect and score off.

Paremata-Plimmerton scored a second try and showed determination to hold Tawa up over the line more than once, before the Wolfpack ignited once more and So’oialo scored the last two tries of the match to give him a personal haul of 35 points.

Earlier, Paremata-Plimmerton's Premier Reserve side found the going tough, losing 7-74 to Tawa's.

In other early Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield matches, Petone cantered to a 51-24 win over Ories, Wainuiomata beat Norths 27-17 and the Axemen beat Hutt Old Boys Martist 18-10.

In three late Premier Reserve matches, Poneke defeated the Upper Hutt Rams 25-23, MSP beat Johnsonville 41-15 and OBU overcame Avalon 41-7.

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